Container closure



Oct; 1968 PARK CONTAINER CLOSURE 2 Sheets-Sheet l Fild June 8. 1966INVENTOR. ROBERT H PARK W'&Q4u

ATTORNEYS.

Oct. 22, 1968 R H PARK CONTAINER CLO-SURE Filed June '8 1966 2Sheets-Sheet 2 F/e'. IO.

ATTORNEYS United States Patent-O ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A two partclosure cap assembly for a container. One part is a cap which maybeattached to the containers. An opening is formed through the cap and atubular extension at the inside of the cap. The opening may be closed bya rod-likemember fitting closely within the opening.

This invention relates to closures for containers and com-prises acontinuation-in-part of my co-pending application Ser. No. 342,032,'filed Feb. 3, 1964 now United States Patent 3,255,925, dated, June 14,1966.

The above application discloses a container and closure wherein athermoplastic tube .is secured into a wall portion of a tubular, baglikeor other thermoplastic container element in such manner as to provide apassageway for the discharge of the container contents. A metal orplastic plug fits within the tube to close the same and it is an aspectof the invention that the inner end of the tube extends into theinterior of the container whereby the periphery of such inwardlyextending portion is exposed to such pressure as may be present or maydevelop within the container.

The present invention utilizes this concept of the prior application byincorporating the same in a screw-on or other type container capstructure which is adapted for production by injection molding,-and alsoincludes the concept of employing a dispenser type plug which can beeither in the nature of a dropper or of a swab type applicator.

In particular, the applicator may comprise a tube with a porous orperforated plug at one end, and a squeezable bulb at the other end,whereby material such as an adhesive or other fluid within the containermay be sucked into the tube, and the tube removed with the benefit of awiping action along the walls thereof, while by suitable manipulationany drip may also be sucked into the applicator. After removal from thecontainer the contents may be dispensed by squeezing, and the tube thenreinserted in the container below the top surface of the fluid, wherebyto avoid drying out at the dispenser contact surface, which if itoccurred would plug the tube and/or pores.

Whereas what is shown in the pending application is operative anduseful, the present invention offers additional advantages in certainfields in that:

(a) production can be carried out on commercially available, highproduction injection molding equipment (b) the outer end portion of theclosure may be molded to any desired form, and may thereby be sodesigned as to afford desirable structural properties not readilyattainable with the construction shown in the pending application (c)the closure can be applied to any conventional container whether ofplastic or other material.

While illustrative embodiments of the principles of the presentinvention are shown in the accompanying drawings and described in detailin the following specification, it is to be understood that suchembodiments are by way of example only, and that the scope of theinvention is not limted thereto nor otherwise than as defined in theappended claims.

For example, the closure could be made without threads and pushed inplace over an unthreaded container finish onto which it could be heldelastically, with or without the'benefit of shrinkage achieved as byapplication of heat or otherwise, or with the aid of a banding element.Alternatively, the closure may be in the form of a plug forced into anopening and held therein elastically, preferably seating against ashoulder on the plug, or the plug may be bonded to the container with asuitable adhesive or by heating the plug and the inside of'a plasticcontainer to soften the contact surfaces enough to effect a Weld afterplug entry.

Again, it is possible to mold the closure from material other than athermoplastic, for example from any other type of moldable elastomericmaterial.

Also, the closure may be injection molded on the end of a tube, filledfrom the open end, and the tube open end thereafter closed by anysuitable means.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a flexible container with a dispensertype screw top into which a bent wire type of closure plug has beeninserted;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the container of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged vertical cross sectional view of the dispensingand closure elements of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing a container and closureincorporating a dropper applicator;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view of closure and applicator similarto FIG. 4 except that the lower end of the applicator has a perforated,flexible elastomeric P FIG. 6 is a fragmentary cross sectional viewshowing an applicator end plug of porous material;

FIG. 7 is a similar view showing an applicator and plug comprising anannular brush molded into an annular support collar;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary vertical cross sectional view showing acontainer and closure incorporating a metal plug having a plastic headmolded thereon;

FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIG. 3 showing a modified stopperarrangement;

FIG. 10 is an elevational view of a modified closure structure generallysimilar to that of FIGS. 1-3 excepting for the stopper construction; and

FIG. 11 is a vertical cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 3 showing afurther modified form of dispenser closure structure.

Turning now to a detailed description of the invention, numeral 1denotes a thermoplastic or other flexible walled blown or othercontainer having a threaded neck portion and a body portion which,though shown round in FIG. 2, may be of any cross sectional shape.

Numeral 3 denotes a generally flexible cap structure of a dispensingtype incorporating a nozzle portion 4. In the specific embodiment shownthe cap 3 is provided with molded threads to allow fluid tightapplication to container 1. However, alternate means of fluid tightcoupling to container 1 may be used.

Numeral 5 denotes a U-shaped plug member shown with tapered and roundedends to facilitate insertion of a leg thereof into cap 3, the other legserving as a stop to limit the degree of entry into cap 3 as clearlyshown in FIG. 3.

As shown in FIG. 3, dispenser-cap element 3 is molded with a centralhole the diameter of which slightly exceeds the diameter of rod 5 exceptat the lower end, where a depending tubular element 7 has an interiordiameter, as molded, smaller than the diameter of rod 5, whereby thetube 7 operates to resiliently grip the rod 5 and effect an air andliquid tight seal.

Also, to obtain an effective resilient seal, yet avoid an unduefo'rcere'quirement in entering or removing rod 5, it is desirable thatthe thickness of depending tube 7 be relatively small, and that theinterior diameter be only slightly smaller than rod 5. whereby the forcerequired to expand the tube when the rod is inserted will be small.

' In a specific construction which was determined to be operative andwherein a closure such as shown in FIG. 3 was molded of low densitypolyethylene, the diameter of rod 5 is .063 inch, while the insidediameter of tube 7 was arrived at by use of a mold mandrel also having adiameter of .0625 in the tube 7 area, and a diameter .0670 in theenlarged hole area above tube 7, to facilitate inserting and removingrod 5, the wall thickness of tube 7 being about .0l2 inch.

In molding the tube 7 portion of the hole a mandrel slightly exceeding.0625, i.e. .0630 may be used without losing air tightness with rod 5,thereby indicating a shrink tendency of tube 7 after mandrel removal.

This shrinking is believed to be demonstrated by the fact that with a.0625 mandrel a .0620 plug is effective but a .0613 plug is too looseand will be forced out of the closure when pressure is applied.

Whereas the foregoing data applies to mandrel dimensioning founddesirable in a specific experimental production process, otherdimensions and proportions may apply in other conditions of production,but it will in any case always be possible to find a set of mandreldimensions which will give a tight but not too tight rod fit in the tube7 section and a loose fit but with only small clearance in the zoneabove tube 7.

An important feature of the invention which relates to the employment ofinwardly extending tube 7 resides in the fact that when pressure isgenerated interiorly of container 1 as by squeezing or otherwise, tube 7is caused to grip rod 5 all the more firmly and thereby prevent rod 5from being ejected by virtue of the forces acting on its projected innerend area. Another feature of tube 7 is that it exercises a desirablewiping action on rod 5 as the latter is removed.

It will be noted that the outer end of dispenser-cap element 3 isslanted to provide a convenient applicator surface for liquid orsemi-liquid material. Alternatively, the outer end may be in the form ofa wedge or inverted V, or it may be conical or merely squared off,according to the use to which the dispenser is to be put.

The embodiment of FIG. 4 comprises a container 9 which could be ofplastic, glass, or metal, onto which a cap 11 is screwed, which cap maybe the same as the cap likewise designated 11 in the embodiment of FIG.5. The cap 11 is similar to cap 3 of the first embodiment in that it isprovided with a thin walled tube 12 which extends toward the interior ofthe container. The inside diameter of the hole in tube 12 isproportional to receive the tube of a dropper 13, which, as shown,comprises a commercially available unitary dropper that has been blowmolded from low density polyethylene. However, other types of droppermay be used.

FIG. 5 shows an enlarged view of a modified dropper 15 incorporating aninserted beveled, hollow elastomeric plug 17 which is perforated as byone or more holes for use as an applicator element, while plug 19 ofFIG. 6 illustrates generally a porous applicator plug. The plug 19 maybe produced from any of a variety of commercially available porousmaterials to suit conditions as to type of product that would bedispensed, as, for example, the plug may be made from household plasticsponge. As a further form of applicator, FIG. 7 illustrates an annularplug 20 into which the bristles 21 have been molded to form an annularbrush.

Whereas the container-dispenser devices of FIGS. 1 to 7 are adapted tocontain and dispense a variety of materials, they are considered toespecially be useful in the packaging and dispensing of adhesives.Heretofore commercially produced adhesive containers in which a plasticsqueeze bottle has been provided with a valvetype cap typically havebeen influenced by their contents, so that after being valved shut,subsequent to dispensing use, the adhesive sets up in a manner whichimpedes subsequent opening of the valve.

In contrast, the construction of FIGS. 1 to 3 has been found to bevirtually unaffected by 'plastic setup effects subsequent to plugreinsertion following a dispensing operation. Y i

The advantage of the embodiments shownin FIGS. 4 to 7 resides in part inthe fact that, especially with use of glass or metal as container and byproper choice of material of applicator construction, and also by virtueof the wiping action of the depending'tube'7 on/the applicator tube 15',it is possible to effectively dispense and apply viscous fluidadhesives, including mucilage, without plugging of the applicatorelement by virtue of the fact that this element is submerged under thesurface of the container contents when the applicator is reinserted inthe container after removal for dispensing and application purposes.

Another advantage residing in the employment of the dropper typedispenser shown herein is that it is easier to use than a dropper whichis made integral with a screw-on cap.

FIG. 8 shows a modification of the container dispenser of FIGS. 1 to 3wherein a dispenser head 21 is shown molded onto the end of acylindrical plastic tube 23, while a metal pin plug 25 has been moldedinto a plastic dust cap 27 which also serves as a grip handle for theplug.

It is to be understood that the container of FIG. 8 would be filled ininverted position and the bottom sealed either by pinching and effectinga weld at the pinch, or by insertinga cup shaped member and welding allaround to form a cylindrical base, or in any other manner.

The type of container shown in FIG. 8 is well adapted to the dispensingof lubricants, since the chance of leakage at the junction of acontainer and cap is eliminated where a unitary construction isemployed.

The modification of FIG. 9 is the same as that shown in FIG. 3 exceptingthat a stop plug 30 is provided for limiting the inward movement of astopper rod 31.

In the embodiment of FIG. 10 the closure member, designated 33, is thesame as in FIG. 3 excepting that the outer applicator end thereof isflattened or cut off as shown, to serve as a stop for a knurled knob 34which is molded at the outer end of a stopper rod 35. e

In the embodiment of FIG. 11 a solid plug 37, which typically would bemolded from a suitable plastic molding compound, has a plastic tube 39inserted into its lower end which is fixed therein as with a cement orotherwise, and which is provided at its lower end with a brush 41 whichmay be crimped or cemented in place.

To facilitate applying torque to loosen the plug 37 prior to removalfrom cap 11, the grip portion of the plug may comprise a figure ofrevolution with a knurled surface, or the grip portion may have a smoothsurface and a generally oval cross section.

Relative to conventional screw type caps provided with an integral brushdispenser, the arrangement of FIGS. 4, 5, and 11 offers a way to counterproblems, in dispensing, which can arise when adhesive has been allowedto come in contact with mating thread areas and causes seizing.

I claim:

1. In combination, a receptacle having a molded outlet formation ofself-sustaining plastic material for sealing the receptacle againstleakage'due to internal pressure, means attaching said outlet formationto said receptacle, said outlet formation having a relativelythin-walled resilient tubular extension at its inner side extendingfreely into the interior of said receptacle and connected with saidoutlet formation only at its outer end, said outlet formation alsohaving an outer projecting portion extending exteriorly of saidattaching means, an axial bore forming an outlet passage in said outerprojecting portion, said outlet passage constituting an outwardcontinuation of the opening in said tubular extension and being ofgreater cross sectional dimension than said opening, and :a rigidrod-like closure member inserted in said outlet passage and said borewith said tubular extension in resilient gripping engagement with saidrod-like closure element to seal the contents while permitting readyinsertion and removal of said closure member.

2. A receptacle combination as in claim 1 wherein said outlet formationcomprises a separately fabricated part from said receptacle and isconnected thereto.

3. A receptacle combination as in claim 1 wherein the inner end of saidrod-like closure comprises material applicator means.

4. A receptacle combination as in claim 1 wherein said rod-like closurecomprises a tube having an enlarged squeeze-bulb formation at its outerend for withdrawing material from said receptacle and dispensing thesame.

5. A receptacle combination as in claim 4 wherein the inner end of saidclosure tube has a restricted droppertype opening.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Davids 15-541 X Fitzsimrnons141-24 Petcher 141-24 Atwood 15-541 X Barnes 141-24 Shinn 222-151 McEWan15-541 Ansell 222-211 Goldich 15-541 X FOREIGN PATENTS ROBERT B. REEVES,Primary Examiner.

20 F. R. HANDREN, Assistant Examiner.

